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getting this oil, while they were looking after it too late, the door was fhut against them; they thought to have repaired all at laft, by borrowing of others, and fupplying themselves that way.

And thus many deceive themfelves, hoping to be fupplied out of another ftore, when they have no grace and goodness of their own; out of the treasure of the church, from the redundant merit of the saints, and their works of fupererogation; of which fome believe (I know not for what rcafon) that there is a great ftock which the Pope may difpofe of, to fupply. thofe who have taken no care to get oil into their lamps. But I know not for what reason works of fupererogation are fuppofed. The wife virgins knew not of any merit they had to fpare; it was the foolish virgins only that entertained this fenfelefs conceit. I am fure the parable infinuates the quite contrary, that the beft and holieft perfons (which are reprefented by the wife virgins) have nothing to fpare for the fup. ply of others, who have been carelefs of their fouls: The foolish faid unto the wife, give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out; but the wife answered, faying, not fo, left there be not enough for us and you, but go ye rather to them that fell, and buy for yourselves. It feems they had no works of fupererogation that they knew of, but they do ironically fend them to a market that was fet up fomewhere, and where these things were pretended to be fold; but how they fped, the conclufion of the parable tells us, that whilft they were running about in great hafte to make this purchafe of the merits and good works of others, the bridegroom came, and the wife virgins that were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the reft were fhut out.

And there are thofe likewife among ourfelves, who having been carelefs to qualify themfelves for the kingdom of God, hope to be fupplied out of the infinite treafure of Chrift's merits. But this alfo is a vain hope for though there be merit enough in the death and fufferings of Chrift to fave all mankind, yet no man can lay claim thereto, who does not perform the conditions of the gospel.

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Others think, by fending for the minifter when the phyfician hath given them over, to receive in a few hours fuch advice and direction, as will do their bu finefs as effectually, as if they had minded religion all their lives long; and that a few devout prayers faid over them, when they are juft embarking for another world, will, like a magical wind, immediately waft them over into the regions of blifs and immortality.

But let us not deceive ourselves; we may defer the bufinefs fo long, till we fhall get nothing by our late application to God, and crying to him, Lord, Lord, open unto us, but that severe answer, Depart from me ye workers of iniquity, I know you not whence ye are. If we would not have this our doom, let us firft feek the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, that fo baving our fruit unto holiness, our end may be everlasting life.

SERMON

The wisdom of religion.

PSA L. cxix. 96.

XCVI.

I have feen an end of all perfection; but thy commandment is exceeding broad.

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His pfalm feems to have a great deal more of poetical number and fkill in it, than at this distance from the time and age in which it was written we can eafily understand. The main fcope and defign of it is very plain and obvious, namely, to magnify the law of God, and the obfervation of its precepts, as that wherein true religion doth mainly confift. And indeed, if we attentively read and confider it, every part of this pfalm does, with great variety of expreffion, and yet very little difference of the fenfe, defcant upon the fame ground, viz. the excellency and perfection of the law of God. And

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the words of the text feem to be as full and comprehenfive of the fenfe and defign of the whole pfalm, as any one fentence in it: I have feen an end of all perfection; but thy commandment is exceeding broad.

Thefe words are variously rendered, and underftood by interpreters, who yet in this variety do very much confpire and agree in the fame fenfe. The Chaldee paraphrafe renders the words thus: I have feen an end of all things, about which I have employed my care; but thy commandment is very large. The Syriac verfion thus: I have feen an end of all regions and countries, (that is, I have found the compass of this habitable world to be finite and limited); but thy commandment is of a vast extent. Others explain it thus: I have feen an end of all perfection; that is, of all the things of this world, which men value and efteem at fo high a rate; of all worldly wisdom and knowledge, of wealth, and honour, and greatness, which do all perish and pass away; but thy law is eternal, and fill abideth the fame ; or, as the fcripture elsewhere expreffeth it, the word of the Lord endureth for ever.

Thy law; that is, the rule of our duty natural and revealed, or, in a word, religion, which confists in the knowledge and practice of the laws of God, is of greater perfection than all other things which are fo highly valued in this world: for the perfection of it is infinite, and of a vaft influence and extent; it reacheth to the whole man, to the happiness of body and foul; to our whole duration both in this world and the next; of this life, and of that which is to come. And this will clearly appear, if we confider the reasonableness and the wifdom of religion, which confifts in the knowledge of God, and the keeping of his laws.

First, The reasonableness of religion, which is able to give a very good account of itself, because it fettles the mind of man upon a firm basis, and keeps it from rolling in perpetual uncertainty whereas atheifin and infidelity wants a ftable foundation; it centres no where but in the denial of God and religion, and yet fubftitutes

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133 fubftitutes no principle, no tenible and conftituent fcheme of things in the place of them; its whole bufinefs is to unravel all things, to unfettle the mind of man, and to fhake all the common notions and received principles of mankind; it bends its whole force to pull down and to destroy, but lays no foundation to build any thing upon, in the ftead of that which it pulls down.

It runs upon that great abfurdity which Aristotle (who was always thought a great mafter of reason) does every where decry, as a principle unworthy of a philofopher, namely, a progrefs of causes in infinitum, and without end; that this was the cause of that, and a third thing of that, and fo on without end, which amounts to just nothing; and finally refolves an infinite number of effects into no firft caufe; than which nothing can be more unfkilful and bungling, and lefs worthy of a philofopher. But this I do not intend at prefent to infift upon, having treated largely on the fame fubject upon another occafion * I fhall therefore proceed in the

Second place, to confider the wisdom of religion. The fear of the Lord is wisdom, fo faith the pfalmift; it is true wifdom indeed, it is the beginning of wifdom, caput fapientia, the top and perfection of all wifdom. Here true wifdom begins, and upon this foundation it is raised and carried on to perfection; and I fhall in my following difcourfe endeavour to make out these two things.

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1. That true wifdom begins and is founded ligion, in the fear of God, and in the keeping of his commandments.

2. That this is the perfection of wifdom; there is no wifdom without this, nor beyond it.

I. True wifdom begins and is founded in religion, and the fear of God, and regard to his laws.

This is the first principle of wisdom, and the foundation upon which the whole defign of our happiness is to be built. This is, in the firft place, to be fupofed, and to be taken into confideration, in all the defigns and actions of men: this is to govern our

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* Vide Ser. 1. of the first volume published by the author.

VOL. V.

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whole life, and to have a main influence upon all the affairs and concernments of it. As the first principle of human fociety, and that which is to run through the whole frame of it, is the public good, this was always to be taken into confideration, and to give law to all laws and conftitutions about it: fo religion is the first principle of human wisdom, by which all our actions are to be conducted and governed; and all wisdom which does not begin here, and lay religion for its foundation, is prepofterous, and begins at the wrong end; and is juft as if in the forming of human fociety, every one in the fettlement of the conftitution, and the framing of laws, fhould have an eye to his own private and particular advantage, without regard to the public good, which is the great end of fociety, and the rule and measure of govern. ment and laws, and in the laft iffue and refult of. things, the only way to procure the fettled welfare, and to fecure the lafting interefts of particular perfons, fo far as that is confiftent with the public good. And it would be a very prepofterous policy to go about to found human fociety upon any other terms, and would certainly end in mifchief and confufion.

And fuch is all the wifdom of men, in relation to their true happiness, which does not begin with religion, and lay its foundation there; which does not take into confideration God and his providence, and a future ftate of rewards and punishments after this life. All wifdom which does not proceed upon a fuppofition of the truth and reality of thefe principles, will certainly end in fhame and difappointment, in mifery and ruin; because it builds a houfe upon the fand, which when it comes to be tried by trefs of weather, and affaulted by violent forms, will undoubtedly fall, and the fall of it will be great.

And this error every man commits, who pursues happiness by following his own inclination, and gratifying his irregular defires, without any confideration of God, and of the reftraint which his laws have laid upon us, not for his own pleasure, but for our good for when all things are duly confidered, and

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